According to the Boston Globe, this clown has been ripping on everyone but himself, but it turns out that he WAS warned about how bad Katrina was going to be by none other than U.S. National Hurricane Center DIRECTOR Max Mayfield.

Now I've read here that he has purchased a home in Dallas and sent his kids to school there...

this man should be prosecuted!!!

"The atmosphere in New Orleans, at city hall, and the police department, was relaxed. No one was really concerned about Hurricane Katrina, despite dire warnings from the U.S. National Hurricane Center, including a direct call to Mayor C. Ray Nagin’s home by Max Mayfield, the center’s director, which was logged in an official timeline of events “compiled by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Hurricane Center.”

According to a riveting account of events by the Boston Globe, there was no sense of alarm, as officials in the city felt that they had been through enough storms in the past and that this one would be no different.

There were 1600 members of the police available, and a total of four skiffs for rescue operations. The overall feeling, according to Jasmine Haralson, chief of staff for a New Orleans city councilman, Jay Batt, was one of little worry. There was “a closed-door briefing at City Hall on the Saturday before the storm hit. Nagin was there, as were Police Superintendent Eddie Compass, the city's department heads, and several City Council members. But the atmosphere was calm, routine.“ "

“Late on Aug. 27, less than 36 hours before Hurricane Katrina crashed into the Gulf Coast, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin's home phone rang. It was Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Florida. Katrina was a ''worst-case" pattern, Mayfield warned. A mandatory evacuation of New Orleans was necessary. As history shows, “Thousands of residents were streaming north by then, alarmed by the increasingly dire predictions on the Weather Channel and on the local news. But it was not until 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, almost 12 hours after Mayfield's call, that Nagin ordered the evacuation.”

"What Jones and at least 10,000 other storm victims didn't know was that the Superdome, while designated by local officials as a shelter of last resort, was never meant to hold storm refugees for long.

According to news reports, neither the state of Louisiana nor the city of New Orleans had planned to stock the facility with water or food. The Federal Emergency Management Agency had hastily offloaded 90,000 liters of water and 43,776 military meals, or MREs, at the sports facility, an inadequate supply for the swelling mass of evacuees."

Some of the excerpts:
"The unveiling of the Mardi Gras Fountain was celebrated this year in typical New Orleans style. The cost of $2.4 million was paid by the Orleans Levee Board, the state agency whose main job is to protect the levees surrounding New Orleans — the same levees that failed after Katrina hit."

"In fact, NBC News has uncovered a pattern of what critics call questionable spending practices by the Levee Board — a board which, at one point, was accused by a state inspector general of "a long-standing and continuing disregard of the public interest."

"Beyond the fountain, there's the $15 million spent on two overpasses that helped gamblers get to Bally's riverboat casino. Critics tried and failed to put some of that money into flood protection.

"There was also $45,000 for private investigators to dig up dirt on radio host and board critic Robert Namer."

"Namer sued and the board then spent another $45,000 to settle."

My favorite is this quote from the President of the Board:

Huey says, "As far as the overall flood protection system, it's intact, it's there today, it worked. In 239 miles of levees, 152 floodgates, and canals throughout this entire city, there was only two areas."

If this was success, I can't imagine what this guys considers failure.

It seems that there was plenty of money that was available to them. How they spent it is another story all together.

Ted- Once again, you stand factually corrected. And of the projects presently on the slate for the Orleans Levee Board, only TWO actually have to deal with direct repair, maintenance or construction of levees themselves.

Facts are funny things. But nice try with the bait post...you need to try harder dude.

******************

Former NOLA Mayor (and Federal indictee) Marc Morial was on the news this AM (why? couldn't tell you since he is also to blame and is as guilty of corruption there as anyone ever was), and even he--although it might have been a CYA move--stated that Nagin fouled up the works.

He said when Georges hit, the Superdome and Convention Center were last refuges and both were stocked and ready, ith medical and relief workers on duty.

Nagin is done- the guy isn't qualified to be dogcatcher in Gary, Indiana.

There was one statement of complete irony from Nagin that blew me away.

King asked him his thoughts when he heard about find those 34 dead in the nursing home.
Nagin's reply was (sorry, this is not vebatim) something like, I can't believe they would do that. Those people were in their care and they were responsible for getting them to safety.
I looked at the TV and went, Ah-Duh! Isn't that the MAYOR"S responsibility to his citizens as well?

No racial intent here, but if that's not the pot calling the kettle black!

Russ

My glass is neither 1/2 empty nor 1/2 full, rather, the glass itself is twice as big as it should be.

Ted, your sudden silence when confronted with facts on this issue is deafening. It's easy to take pot shots based on opinions. Why don't you engage and address the facts that have been posted on this issue in response to your post? Be a man.

Quoting Pope (Reply 7):Ted, your sudden silence when confronted with facts on this issue is deafening. It's easy to take pot shots based on opinions. Why don't you engage and address the facts that have been posted on this issue in response to your post? Be a man.

Pope- he can't argue something based on fact if he is unarmed with them or a means of debating said facts.

Too bad- I was looking forward to this argument for the fifteenth time. Not.

"What Jones and at least 10,000 other storm victims didn't know was that the Superdome, while designated by local officials as a shelter of last resort, was never meant to hold storm refugees for long."

All the news reports before the storm predicted that the superdome would lose power, there would be no drinking water, the toilets would not work, the playing field would be flooded, and the whole building surrounded by flood water. It was well known beforehand that people entering the dome were doomed.

Quoting Pope (Reply 3):"The unveiling of the Mardi Gras Fountain was celebrated this year in typical New Orleans style. The cost of $2.4 million was paid by the Orleans Levee Board, the state agency whose main job is to protect the levees surrounding New Orleans — the same levees that failed after Katrina hit."

"In fact, NBC News has uncovered a pattern of what critics call questionable spending practices by the Levee Board — a board which, at one point, was accused by a state inspector general of "a long-standing and continuing disregard of the public interest."

"Beyond the fountain, there's the $15 million spent on two overpasses that helped gamblers get to Bally's riverboat casino. Critics tried and failed to put some of that money into flood protection.

Oops!

I said it before, yes the Federal Government blew this big time, but when the waters recede and people start asking questions, the local government will be absolutely crucified.

Quoting 777DadandJr (Reply 6):Those people were in their care and they were responsible for getting them to safety.
I looked at the TV and went, Ah-Duh! Isn't that the MAYOR"S responsibility to his citizens as well?

So, if your house catches on fire and you run for the hills and leave junior behind, that's the Mayor's responsibility, right?

Quoting Slider (Reply 5):And of the projects presently on the slate for the Orleans Levee Board, only TWO actually have to deal with direct repair, maintenance or construction of levees themselves.

The history of the board is as follows...

An amendment to the 1921 Constitution was made by Act 292 of 1928: It empowered the Orleans Levee Board "to perform certain works of reclamation, construction, and improvement" and authorized the Board to sell, lease, or dispose of land not dedicated to public use."

I'm looking over these projects (all listed below) and not one of these seems out of ordinary for day in and day out operations for reclamation, construction, and improvement required of lands to a public district.

Improvements could include building a new fountain for "cosmetic" reasons or doing construction projects to enhance the attraction of businesses to the area. These improvement projects are aimed at spurring people to the area, economic growth and development, which in turn, especially if designed as a Tax Increment Financing district, means generated tax revenue goes right back to the Levee district.

This type of business is atypical of any public entity. Attend a couple of your own city council meetings.

Quoting LON-CHI (Reply 2):"What Jones and at least 10,000 other storm victims didn't know was that the Superdome, while designated by local officials as a shelter of last resort, was never meant to hold storm refugees for long.

According to news reports, neither the state of Louisiana nor the city of New Orleans had planned to stock the facility with water or food.

Food and water was scarce because the Super Dome was "out of season" for the purpose of which it was built. A lot of times, last ditch efforts, in any given situation, do not come with luxuries, but just a mere means of having shelter.

if assumptions could fly, airliners.net would be the world's busiest airport

Quoting KROC (Reply 10):I just poured a glass of MIlk, and Ted's name was on the back of the carton right under "MISSING - Have you seen this person?"

Right next to the picture of your wife

You guys Think this board is corrupt, you should see DCAD. The City of Miami, makes these guys look like winners. I know that's deflecting, but you HAVE to admit there's enough blame for EVERYONE on this. Considering FEMA is still doing a marginal job at best I think we ought to wait and see what a full independent review on this in a year's time brings.

Quoting KROC (Reply 10):
I just poured a glass of MIlk, and Ted's name was on the back of the carton right under "MISSING - Have you seen this person?"

Right next to the picture of your wife

You guys Think this board is corrupt, you should see DCAD. The City of Miami, makes these guys look like winners. I know that's deflecting, but you HAVE to admit there's enough blame for EVERYONE on this. Considering FEMA is still doing a marginal job at best I think we ought to wait and see what a full independent review on this in a year's time brings.

There you go...everything but the white flag! Well done!

I too believe that a full review of this will tell us all what we didn't know when the first set of assumptions were being made by all of us armchair generals.